Big Hero 6 Plus One

Chapter 10 | Relief and Heartbreak

Word count: 0.9K

Total time (estimated): 3 days

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The next morning, the sky was cloudy, gray, and dull. Hiro was awoken by an emergency alarm from another room down the hall. He slowly sat up, stretching as he gradually woke up. Hiro raised his head slightly, checking the time on the clock that hung on the wall: 7:15 AM. Hiro's eyes fell upon Ariyana, who remained exactly as she had been just a few hours earlier. He sadly gazed at her unconscious body as she lay motionless in the hospital bed.

Hiro turned his head, spotting the empty chair beside him. Aunt Cass's purse was still there, but she herself was not. Hiro could faintly hear her voice outside the door along with two unfamiliar male voices. Hiro turned back to his unconscious sister with a sad look on his face. He held her lean little hand in his, gazing at her restful face. Ariyana had been unconscious for hours. Would she ever wake up?

Hiro didn't know if Ariyana could hear him, but he spoke to her anyway. "You really scared me bad, sis." He took his sister's hand in his, giving it a small squeeze. "Don't ever do that to me again."

Just seconds later, as if on cue, Ariyana's eyelids clenched slightly, and her body slightly moved. A soft moan escaped her lips. Hiro's caramel-chocolate brown eyes widened slightly, and he leaned in closer. "Ariyana?" he whispered.

To Hiro's relief, Ariyana's light-blue eyes slowly fluttered open, remaining half-lidded. Her eyes traveled toward him, meeting his own eyes. "Hiro...?" she whispered. Her voice sounded tired and slightly hoarse.

"Aria," Hiro whispered, tears brimming in his eyes as he moved closer, holding his sister's hand. "I'm here, Aria."

Ariyana stared at him with tired eyes, staring into his caramel-chocolate brown eyes. "Tadashi..." she whispered. "Is he okay...?"

Hiro's heart sank into his stomach. "I-I don't... I don't know..."

"Hiro," a voice said. Hiro turned his head to see Aunt Cass standing in the doorway. Her big green eyes were glazed over with tears, and her face was tear-streaked. She motioned for Hiro to come to her, holding her hand out to him.

Hiro gave a small nod and turned his gaze back to his sister. She continued to stare at him with tired yet worried eyes. "Where's Tadashi...?" she whispered. Hiro gave his sister a sorrowful look, only making Ariyana even more worried. He was silent as he stood and walked toward the door where his aunt stood. He followed her into the hallway, where he was met by the solemn faces of two police officers.

"Are you Hiro Hamada?" one asked. "The younger brother of Tadashi Hamada?"

Hiro gave a slight nod. "Yeah."

"Is the girl awake? Your sister?"

"Um, yes."

The officers exchanged solemn looks. "I'll do it," said one. He briefly glanced at Hiro and Aunt Cass as he walked past them and into the hospital room.

Hiro turned to the other officer who stood in front of him. Even though he already knew what the answer was, he asked, "Where's Tadashi?"

The officer's face became even more solemn, and he removed his hat. Big red flag. Hiro braced for impact. "I'm very sorry to say this, but Tadashi did not survive the fire." Hiro's heart dropped. "Search and rescue workers combed through the entire building and the surrounding areas. They were searching all night long, but they couldn't find any trace of him anywhere. The same goes for Professor Robert Callaghan. I'm afraid neither of them survived. Search and rescue workers will keep combing through the building for the next couple of weeks as the investigation into the fire continues, but it's unlikely they'll find anything after a fire that intense. The interior of the building is entirely destroyed. The odds of anything, or anyone, being found are slim to none."

Hiro stood frozen and silent, staring straight ahead with widened eyes. His heart pounded in his chest. His head felt as though it was spinning. His stomach felt as if it was in knots. His hand reached up to subconsciously touch his forehead, barely processing the feeling of sweat underneath his fingers and palm.

Tadashi was gone, dead. His body may never be recovered, most likely burnt to ashes in the flames. It was a sickening thought. Was he thrown against a wall, killed by the impact? Was he crushed by debris? Was he suffocated and choked to death by the thick, lethal smoke? Was he killed by the fire itself, burned alive? Hiro felt sick to his stomach. His brother was gone, forever, dead. His last words? "Someone has to help." Tadashi lost his life trying to save someone else's and possibly saving Ariyana's.

Hiro collapsed into a chair beside his aunt. His breathing became heavy and labored. His chest was tight, his body was weak, his head was dizzy, his hands and legs were trembling. His hands flew to his mouth as the horror and heartbreak of it all came crashing onto him as he heard his sister's heartbroken cries of despair from inside the hospital room.

"I'm so sorry."

"NO!! NO!!"

Tears flooded Hiro's eyes.

"OH MY GOD, NO!!"

Hiro collapsed into his aunt's arms as the tears began to pour from his eyes, devastated sobs escaping from his throat. He could hear Ariyana's heartbroken sobbing on the other side of the closed door as tears dripped down his cheeks. Tadashi was gone, forever. There was nothing anyone could ever do to fix this.